Mi-crop-weather State Michigan Crop Weather Released May 24, 2004 Week Ending Date May 23, 2004 Issue MI-CW2104 Agricultural Summary Excessive Rain One day was suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 23, according to the USDA-NASS-Michigan Statistical Office. Most of the State was inundated with heavy rainfall over the week. Southern districts had repeated severe storms that flooded fields and homes, uprooted trees, and interrupted power supplies to many areas. Northern parts of the State, while receiving less inclement weather, were also too wet for farmers to make much progress. The least amount of precipitation recorded for the week was 1.77 inches in the western Upper Peninsula. All other districts reported at least 2 inches of rain, with four districts receiving over 3 inches. The south central Lower Peninsula was swamped with 3.78 inches of rain. All districts in the State are now above average for their cumulative precipitation since April 1. Temperatures ranged from 2 degrees below normal in the western Upper Peninsula to 6 degrees above normal in the three southern Lower Peninsula districts. All across the State, farmers commented that they were behind on their spring work and noted it would take a bit of time after this latest round of precipitation before they were able to resume tillage and planting activities. A grower in the Thumb reported, "This week was another wet one. All fieldwork is on hold and the crops that did get planted sure aren't growing very fast." A producer in the south central summed up the week simply as, "Way too much water in such a short period of time." Field Crops Report Field Crops Cold, wet, and windy weather continued across the State. Persistent rains this past week put a halt to fieldwork. Soil across the State was saturated due to the rain. Corn was still emerging, but at a slow pace. In some areas, farmers may have to replant corn fields. Rain has delayed application of herbicides. Alfalfa fields were beginning to yellow due to excess moisture in the root zone. Overall, hay is looking great with all the moisture. In some areas around the State, the first cutting of hay was ready to be harvested. Some soybean fields are under water. Dry weather is needed for farmers to finish planting the rest of their crop. Wheat fields were still being watched closely due to powdery mildew being spotted in some fields. Wheat was in a critical heading stage so infections of Fusarium head scab can occur. Overall, wheat was growing at a rapid pace. Sugarbeet fields were being sprayed, and stands looked good. Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty Crops Report Fruit Wet conditions and high humidity are causing difficulty for Michigan fruit growers. Fungal and bacterial diseases, standing water, and damaging hail are just some of the weather related problems growers faced last week. However, warm temperatures have generally pushed fruit development a few days ahead of normal. Apple fruit set was light in the southwest, and there was a heavy drop. Primary scab season is over, but secondary lesion spread is possible, given the wet weather. In the southeast, apples had reached 9 to 10 mm in size. Apple scab spore discharge continued with each rain event. Powdery mildew also continued to be found at many farms. Around Grand Rapids, scab and trauma blight due to recent hail was a concern. In the west central, apples were in full bloom to petal fall. Heavy apple scab infection was a concern in the northwest. Tart cherries in the west central were in shuck. Prolonged wetting events resulted in many fungal and bacterial infections. In the northwest, buds progressed into bloom, and the May 3 freeze damage became more evident. Sweet cherries were generally developing nicely, with some plum curculio damage starting to show. Peach fruit set varies by variety, and looked good for most varieties grown in the southwest. In the southeast, peaches had progressed past shuck split. In the west central, peaches were at shuck. Prolonged wetting has caused the same fungal and bacterial concerns for peaches as other tree fruits. Pears had a light fruit set in the southwest. In the southeast, pears were 9 to 10 mm in size. Growers were applying control measures for pear psylla. A fire blight infection period has occurred on pears in the northwest. Strawberry bloom ended in the southwest and neared its end in the southeast. In grapes, two or three flower clusters per shoot are common. Low lying vineyards damaged by frost show no green growth that can be seen from the roadside. A few secondary buds have come out in older Concord vineyards. Niagara secondaries show more movement. In vineyards that were heavily cropped last year and frosted this spring, many basal buds are beginning to grow. Vegetables Wet conditions dampened vegetable growers' plans for much of the week. Asparagus picking was in full swing in the primary growing districts. Yield reports were mixed and quality was variable, depending on the weather at harvest. Some asparagus beetle and cutworm activity was reported, along with some purple spot. Celery planting occurred between rain showers in the western part of the State. Most onions in the west were emerged. Overwintered spinach harvest began and spring plantings in the west central looked good, given all the inclement weather. In the southeast, leaf lettuce on plastic was nearing harvest, cole crops were making steady progress, and carrot planting in some locations neared completion. Most growers in the southeast were waiting for drier weather to transplant tomatoes, peppers and melons. Soil Moisture and Crop Condition Tables Soil moisture for week ending 05/23/04 --------------------------------------------- : Very : : : Stratum : short : Short :Adequate:Surplus --------------------------------------------- : Percent : Topsoil : 0 0 23 77 Subsoil : 0 1 49 50 --------------------------------------------- Crop condition for week ending 05/23/04 ----------------------------------------------------------- : Very : : : : Crop : poor : Poor : Fair : Good :Excellent ----------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : All Hay : 1 3 27 46 23 Barley : 0 7 20 64 9 Corn : 3 7 37 41 12 Oats : 1 2 25 58 14 Pasture : 2 1 25 45 27 Winter Wheat : 0 1 24 54 21 ----------------------------------------------------------- Crop progress for week ending 05/23/04 ------------------------------------------------------------ : This : Last : Last :5-year Crop : week : week : year :average ------------------------------------------------------------ : Percent : All hay, first cutting : 2 0 3 3 Asparagus, harvested : 48 31 52 53 Barley, planted : 90 80 82 89 Barley, emerged : 61 50 58 75 Corn, planted : 71 65 61 74 Corn, emerged : 55 36 25 43 Oats, planted : 95 91 95 96 Oats, emerged : 90 76 79 87 Potatoes, planted : 63 54 NA NA Potatoes, emerged : 30 10 NA NA Soybeans, planted : 36 33 27 45 Soybeans, emerged : 26 16 6 20 Winter wheat, headed : 20 3 1 12 ------------------------------------------------------------ Contact Information U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Statistical Office P.O. Box 26248 Lansing, MI 48909-6248 517-324-5300; or 800-453-7501 Fax 517-324-5299 email: nass-mi@nass.usda.gov Web Page: http:/www.nass.usda.gov/mi Weather Information Table Michigan Weather Summary for Week Ending 05/23/04 1/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : :Cumulative growing: : Temperature : degree days 2/ : Precipitation :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : : : : : : : : Normal Station : : :Departure: : : :This:Last :Last : Since :------------- :Maximum :Minimum : from :2004 :2003 :Normal:week: two :four :April 1: Since : For : : : normal : : : : :weeks:weeks: :April 1:month ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ironwood : 72 37 214 236 1.77 2.61 2.90 5.24 Marquette : 74 35 179 211 2.26 3.17 3.55 6.09 Stephenson : 82 37 284 300 2.02 3.19 3.84 6.16 Western UP : 82 35 -2 206 228 231 1.77 2.56 2.87 4.96 4.59 3.37 : Cornell : 70 36 166 211 2.01 2.68 3.10 4.68 Sault St Marie : 70 39 112 206 2.20 3.24 4.34 5.67 Eastern UP : 73 30 0 142 181 152 2.05 2.89 3.49 4.63 4.57 3.01 : Beulah : 77 38 281 290 1.99 4.01 5.61 8.89 Lake City : 75 35 300 277 2.88 4.60 6.98 10.60 Old Mission : 77 35 257 250 2.73 4.51 5.07 7.33 Pellston : 77 28 252 257 3.25 4.24 4.51 6.23 Northwest : 77 28 -1 260 256 276 2.49 4.16 5.29 7.69 4.54 2.61 : Alpena : 78 37 252 220 2.15 3.01 4.73 6.03 Houghton Lake : 75 36 312 305 3.45 5.30 7.65 10.37 Rogers City : 78 34 279 202 2.26 3.52 5.44 7.56 Northeast : 79 28 -1 292 265 258 2.39 3.67 5.82 8.05 4.55 2.76 : Fremont : 77 43 407 349 2.40 2.78 7.69 9.35 Hart : 78 41 356 294 2.07 3.74 7.77 9.73 Muskegon : 76 45 407 330 4.80 5.99 7.58 9.26 West Central : 78 39 3 375 320 318 2.97 4.16 7.46 9.27 5.13 2.67 : Alma : 79 45 443 336 2.99 4.24 8.24 9.75 Big Rapids : 80 47 394 316 3.17 4.23 7.12 8.48 Central : 80 45 2 424 324 351 3.04 4.24 8.06 9.59 5.15 2.79 : Bad Axe : 80 39 358 226 2.57 2.99 6.55 9.59 Pigeon : 79 41 331 239 2.52 3.48 7.21 9.55 Saginaw : 80 49 397 295 2.72 4.75 8.43 9.73 Standish : 79 40 353 271 1.24 3.80 7.38 9.90 East Central : 80 39 0 355 266 333 2.41 3.71 7.43 9.51 4.54 2.63 : Fennville : 80 45 446 355 3.21 4.50 6.06 7.18 Grand Rapids : 81 50 527 361 4.66 6.95 9.16 11.31 Holland : 81 49 461 345 1.63 2.72 4.32 5.50 South Bend, IN : 83 45 589 415 1.74 3.40 4.50 4.98 Watervliet : 80 45 496 372 2.33 3.54 4.55 5.46 Southwest : 84 36 6 498 383 380 3.29 4.76 6.44 7.56 5.69 3.01 : Belding : 82 49 471 340 3.55 5.13 6.98 8.84 Coldwater : 82 54 496 353 2.36 3.86 6.12 6.42 Lansing : 81 45 491 376 4.77 6.90 9.58 10.22 South Central : 85 39 6 495 382 380 3.78 5.38 8.12 8.89 5.39 2.92 : Detroit : 84 49 521 394 4.60 5.26 7.61 8.20 Flint : 82 46 512 379 3.60 4.96 7.20 7.74 Romeo : 83 44 465 334 4.78 6.05 9.38 10.78 Tipton : 83 47 491 382 1.98 3.57 5.89 6.18 Toledo, OH : 84 49 569 410 1.62 2.25 3.57 4.53 Southeast : 85 42 6 497 378 360 3.24 4.33 7.12 7.92 5.38 2.85 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Issued by the Federal/State Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Michigan State University's Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Meteorologist, Department of Geography, and Crop Advisory Team ALERTS. 2/ Growing degree days (GDD) is the sum of daily mean temperatures minus 50 per day, 86 maximum And 50 minimum. The GDD is accumulative from April 1.